American George Weller was the first foreign reporter to enter Nagasaki following the U.S. atomic attack on the city on Aug. 9, 1945. Weller wrote a series of stories about what he saw in the city, but US Military refused to allow the material to be printed. Weller’s stories, written in September 1945, can be found here. Link via kottke.
Month: June 2005
Kitchen Myths
This is something I’ll have to send to some people I know, as I know they believe in many of these. Hell, even I’m a sucker, and have fallen for Arm & Hammer’s clever “It makes the fridge fresher” marketing ploys.
While we’re thinking about kitchen stuff, here’s a list of the various shelf lives of household products (food, toiletries, etc…).
Best SlashDot Comment Ever
I don’t read SlashDot as much as used to, but I have to admit that this comment (in reference to this story about nerds being better lovers) made me fall off my chair. Link via Waxy.
Texting Vs. Morse Code Redux
I mentioned before about how the morse coders beat the tar out of a person texting a message on her cell phone. Apparently there was a similar contest on Leno (OK, so I’m a little behind, give me a break) with one of the Morse code guys commenting here. Links via Waxy.
Why Being A Blogger Is Good
It could help find your murderer if you’re ever killed (here’s the entry it refers to). Yes, I know this is so last month, but I’m a bit behind on my RSS feeds, OK? Link via Waxy.
Women: Orgasms Turn Off Part Of Your Brain
Great — another excuse for women to fake it.
“At the moment of orgasm, women do not have any emotional feelings,? says Gert Holstege of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands….
As the women were stimulated, activity rose in one sensory part of the brain, called the primary somatosensory cortex, but fell in the amygdala and hippocampus, areas involved in alertness and anxiety. During orgasm, activity fell in many more areas of the brain, including the prefrontal cortex, compared with the resting state…
In one sense the findings appear to confirm what is already known, that women cannot enjoy sex unless they are relaxed and free from worries and distractions. “Fear and anxiety levels have to go down for orgasm. Everyone knows this but we can see it happening in the brain,” (Holstege) explains.
From an evolutionary point of view, it could be that the brain switches off the emotions during sex because at such times the chance to produce offspring becomes more important than the survival risk to the individual. Holstege points to the extraordinary behaviour seen in some animals during the breeding season, such as March hares, when the urge to mate seems to override the usual fear of predators.
17.5 Ton Popsicle Floods NYC
This sounds like a sticky mess.
An attempt to erect the world’s largest popsicle in a city square ended with a scene straight out of a disaster film, but much stickier.
The 25-foot-tall, 17 1/2-ton popsicle treat of frozen Snapple unexpectedly quickly melted in the midday sun Tuesday, flooding Union Square in downtown Manhattan with pink fluid that sent pedestrians scurrying for higher ground.
Firefighters closed off several streets and used hoses to wash away the sugary goo as the 35,000-pound, Kiwi-Strawberry flavored pop gushed thousands of gallons of liquid.
While that’s an ugly mess, it could’ve been a lot worse.
Everybody’s Got A Fetish
I mentioned one man’s obsession with pregnant animals, but apparently Dr. Spock (aka Leonard Nimoy) has a thing for heavy women.
Episode III Easter Eggs
I might have to go see it again so I can look for these.